When it comes to wedding planning, the search for the perfect wedding venue is usually where couples start. And guess what? Searches for venues have been skyrocketing lately!
Venue Managers take note: We asked 4,200 Australian couples about their wedding plans, and boy, did they spill some wedding tea! So let’s take a deep dive into what couples adore and are not so keen on when they team up with wedding venues.
The average cost of a wedding venue in Australia
The 2024 Australian Wedding Industry Report just dropped some eye-opening stats and it’s good news for wedding venues. While the average cost per wedding declined or flattened in many categories across the industry, for wedding venues it increased 3% from 2023 prices.
The average cost of a wedding venue is $15,230 in 2024, up from $14,758 in 2023.
Where Venues Shine
Let’s start with the good stuff!
When selecting a wedding venue, the most important factors are style and atmosphere (84%), followed closely by price (83%), ahead of a helpful venue manager (63%), and food and beverage options (62%).
Couples couldn’t stop raving about:
- How venues hooked them up with fantastic suppliers
- The flexibility to shift pre-paid fees for no-show guests to more bubbly (cheers to that!)
- A venue squad that rocked at communicating with other vendors, making the day a breeze
- Crafty backup plans ready to roll if things hit a bump
- Feeling like the absolute VIPs with personalised attention
- That pro vibe that assured them everything was under control
Room for Improvement
But, as we know in the business, not everything goes to plan. Here’s a few areas that venues could work on improving, according to our couples:
- Booking while renovations were still in progress, leading to unexpected surprises
- Hidden fees sneaking into the final bill, catching couples off guard
- Waiting, waiting, and more waiting for email replies—cue the frustration!
- Musical chairs with event managers without a smooth handover, causing reconfirmation headaches
- A clash between the venue teams, causing a few guest-related hiccups
- Not exactly getting the service that was promised, causing a bit of disappointment
Business Insights
On average, wedding venues in Australia:
- Have been in business for 19 years
- Are booked 13 months before the wedding
- Work 33 hours on each wedding
- Spend 15% of their revenue on marketing and advertising
- Mostly respond to wedding enquiries within 24 hours (55%), followed by within an hour (23%)
- Are devoted 57% to weddings and 43% to corporate or other events
- Wedding venues are at the top of the Wedding Buying Cycle, just ahead of catering and celebrants. It’s where couples generally begin their planning journey, with the buying cycle generally spread across 12-16 months.
Pro Tips for Wedding Venues
Let your food and drinks do the talking! Share those drool-worthy pics of happy guests savouring their meals, plates looking like art, and portions that scream “yum” to demonstrate the quality of your food.
And don’t forget to promote any rave reviews from recent couples, about your stunning venue and delicious spread.
For the full scoop on all things weddings, click the below button to download the latest Australian Wedding Industry Report.
Download the 2024 Wedding Industry Report
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